


Scattered Sweets and Green Flames

by SilenceWanderer



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, The rest of RYUSEITAI also show up as minor characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:00:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25286494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilenceWanderer/pseuds/SilenceWanderer
Summary: Collection of fics written for Rarepair Week.Prompts done: Dreams
Relationships: Kagehira Mika/Takamine Midori
Kudos: 5
Collections: Enstars Rarepair Week





	Scattered Sweets and Green Flames

**Author's Note:**

> Dream demon AU where Mika’s a demon who’s taken up temporary residence in Midori’s dream.  
> Do I need to warn for demonic possession? Minor occurrence. 
> 
> This was... a struggle due to what I presume is writer’s block... and I honestly don’t think I’ll be able to keep up with the rarepair week schedule, which is frustrating... but I’ll do my best, and will finish this even if it’s very late. But that is also why the quality may be bad... I’m sorry, I’ll probably review it and try to clean it up at a later time when my inspiration returns.  
> I am sorry for the title of this collection. I peaked at SSNSS and will never come up with something as good again. 
> 
> Side note: This gacha was everything I have hoped for for approximately four years and I absolutely cannot believe that Happyele has done this for us. Midomika wins! The story was delightful!

Recently, Midori’s dreams had become somewhat strange. 

If he had to say, his dreams were typically average and mundane; a collection of snippets involving daily life, those he knew, the work he did, perhaps a success or failure depending on what his brain wanted to spin for him that day. Occasionally, he would be witness to a world from a storybook, something fantastical that warped as the dream went on. Sometimes his nights would remain dreamless, merely a second passing between giving into exhaustion and waking within it as well. But rarely, if ever in his memory, did his dreams repeat. 

So when he found himself again in the lush, forested landscape that he had dreamed about the day before, he consciously thought, even within that dream, _That’s weird._

As he strolled through, looking around, his suspicion at this occurrence was only reinforced with every familiar landmark that he passed. A cluster of purple mushrooms that struggled among the roots of a massive tree, turquoise leaves wrapped in fairy lights. A circle in the sky that seemed home to a neverending shooting star, akin to Ouroboros lunging for its tail. Even the plain blue watering can he had left the night before, empty after he had watered the plot of carrots that greeted him in a field, out of place when compared to the fantastical surroundings. He kicked it lightly, hearing the dull sound echo within. Still empty, it seemed. 

The next place to check, then, was the carrot field. 

He followed the burbling of a stream to that field, a wide, grassy expanse surrounded by the same light bushy trees that had bordered his path thus far. The stream, if he remembered correctly, was dyed lavender from the influence of the misty pastel sky, unchanging throughout his seeming hours of work on the plot, and sat a quick walk from the north of the field. So perhaps, after this, he would—

The thought died as he stared incredulously at the plot, which now housed candy canes, diligently half-buried at equal distances from each other, rather than the carrots of yesterday. The carrots, rather than being entirely missing, seemed to have been placed in a neat pile on the nearby picnic table, chipping green paint and wood that barely belonged in this setting. 

He heard a shuffling behind him and whirled around, a fuzziness taking hold of his surroundings, a distance that he knew signalled his awakening. But before the world behind his eyes faded to black, he caught a single glimpse of a dark figure with mismatched eyes.

-

Midori let out a deep sigh as he slumped against the mirror along the wall of the practice room, sliding down it with a tired look at the floor. The dream from that morning had mostly faded, leaving only a vague feeling of deja vu and two colors that stuck in his mind, brilliant amber and blue. He sighed again, picking up the water bottle he had left by the wall and pressing it against his forehead, trying to chase away the strange remnants that clung to his mind. A shadow moved to cover the light above him as Shinobu walked over, frowning slightly.

“Midori-kun, you seem to have had even less energy than usual during this practice session,” Shinobu started, leaning over him. Sometimes Midori wondered if this was his way of feeling tall, given that this was one of the only ways the other would ever tower over him. “Is something worrying you? Perhaps something this ninja would be able to lend an ear to?” He had a hopeful sparkle in his one visible eye, a small smile on his face that Midori presumed was an effort to seem earnest or comforting. 

“I'm fine. Just a weird dream,” Midori replied a bit shortly, looking away with a sting of guilt as Shinobu visibly deflated at his tone. He tried to soften the blow by adding, “It’s not a big deal, though... I’m just tired. Thank you, Shinobu-kun.” 

The other gave him a beaming smile in encouragement, and Midori attempted a weak imitation in return. As Chiaki’s booming voice echoed through the room, he resigned himself to the usual fuss of practice.

-

When he woke up again within the dreamlike lushness of the forested path, he ignored all of his whimsical surroundings and walked straight for the field where he’d seen the plot. Like the other times he had appeared there, it was empty of people besides himself. He stilled, trying to catch the sounds of anyone approaching, but was distracted from his focus by the tall vines that replaced the half-buried candy canes that had been in the plot.

They were a bright green, healthy and firm, and seemed perfectly able to curl into the sky without any supports. Small white buds dotted them at varying distances, and Midori thought he could see hints of red on some of the larger buds. He reached out to touch them, specialty-infused curiosity seeping through his confusion, but froze as he caught the faint sound of rustling nearby. 

_I won’t let you get away this time!_ he thought with a hint of indignance, whirling around more swiftly than his eyes could adjust. When they had, though, a boy who looked around his age stood clearly before him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open just enough that Midori thought he could see fangs. The adrenaline of his movement fueled him to continue glaring, muscles tense and poised to act if need be, but the boy just continued to stand fixed in place, eyes flicking between the surroundings and Midori as if lost about what to do. 

The time stretched on, eternally shooting star circling visibly in the background, and eventually Midori sighed and straightened up, sluggishly stretching his arms over his head to try and rid himself of the slight soreness of staying tensed in the same position. The boy was staring at him, mismatched eyes nearly teary, and at this point, Midori was starting to feel bad. He cleared his throat, watching as the other snapped to attention. “So, uh...” he started awkwardly, almost unsure what to say now that he’d actually met them. “...What’s your name?”

That sounded like a good place to start. 

The other hesitated, chewing on his lip. Midori waited. It seemed easier to pass the time in this world, somehow, with its beautiful mistiness and greenery, and as he waited, he saw the other deflate and let out a defeated sigh. 

“...’m Mika. Nice t’ meet ya,” he mumbled, looking down at the grass and squeezing his hands together nervously. 

“...Mika-kun.” Midori tested the name, nodding, before looking back at him. “...Is it your fault that I keep having the same dream?”

“N-Nah! ‘s not me!” Mika replied very quickly, voice unnaturally shrill as he seemed to be trying to look everywhere except in Midori’s direction. “‘m just a dream inhabitant! Nothin’ suspicious!”

“Just saying that is making you suspicious...” Midori replied with some exasperation, rubbing his forehead as he sensed the beginnings of a headache set in. He plopped down on the grass, slight comfort in the familiarity of soil, and looked up at the other irritably. “And what do you mean by ‘dream inhabitant’?”

Mika jolted, still fiddling with his hands. “Uh, y’know,” he babbled, voice still strained, “The people ya meet in dreams ‘n talk to... ‘s not like they live there or anythin’!”

“Mhm.” Midori gave him a withering stare, and Mika looked away, visibly sweating. “I guess it doesn’t matter too much, since this is just a dream, though...” he added a bit reluctantly, unwilling to spend his already low energy on arguing with someone who technically didn’t exist. 

Mika gave an uneven laugh in reply before the field settled into silence once more. Mika had taken the chance to inch back to his plants, thoughtfully prodding at the soil and rushing out to grab the watering can he had left along the path. 

Just watching him made Midori drowsy, but as he closed his eyes for a moment, he felt that fuzzy feeling again. _Am I waking up?_ he wondered vaguely, eyesight blurry, and as he saw Mika walk into the space once more, his vision turned to black. 

Midori’s illusory projection broke into stars, scattering like snow, and Mika sighed, gazing into the sky as the mist condensed and crept in. 

He sat down in the field, stretching as dark, feathered wings unfurled from his back and a thin little tail flicked aside a couple blades of grass. “This is a nice place...” he murmured, eyes slowly tracing the surroundings he could still see, the outlines of trees and stars burning through the fog. “I’ll miss it when I have to leave...” He closed his eyes, lay back, and waited for Midori’s return.

-

Much as Midori waited, the dream didn’t end. Each time he closed his eyes, he would be transported to that same forest, and after their initial introduction, it wasn’t uncommon to see Mika there, often in the field or on a stroll through the trees. The time allowed for plenty of opportunities to get to know the other, analyze the situation, and get things off his chest.

It was one of those days where Midori just talked. He wouldn’t deny it was almost nice to have a space like this, despite not being able to rest well, where he could just talk and know it wouldn’t be used against him by someone in his life. 

“...and there are explosions sometimes, because of the fights...” he was explaining, gesturing to an imaginary stage as he explained RYUSEITAI’s lives. Mika’s eyes seemed to glow as he spoke, hanging onto his words with rapt attention. “And then we kick the monsters... and then sing. It’s a bit stupid, but kids like it...”

“‘n the monsters don’t wake up?” Mika asked, leaning forward and watching as Midori let go of the blades of grass he had been using to illustrate his unit. 

“They’re not real... just actors or machines,” Midori replied, and Mika leaned back with a hum of understanding. 

“I wish I could see,” he said wistfully, looking up at the glittering sky before he fixed his eyes back on Midori, staring into the cool turquoise as Midori gazed back, a bit endeared by the other’s excitement.

“Well... I don’t think you can, but who knows,” Midori answered with a partial shrug. “I could... show you some moves, and our songs, but... it’s probably not interesting.”

Mika tilted his head. “Ya said it was real embarrassin’ for ya, though... I don’t wanna make ya do things you hate, y’know?”

“No... it’s fine.” Midori offered him a crooked smile. “It _is_ nice seeing people happy... I am an idol, after all.”

And Mika grinned back, eyes twinkling. “‘m sure you’re a great one.”

-

Midori wasn’t sure when he had gotten so tired, even moreso than usual, but as he misstepped and felt his leg twist, he painfully slammed into the hard practice room floor, feeling pain and fatigue burn through his limbs. He could hear the anxious shouting of his unitmates around him and wondered why it felt like he could barely keep his eyes open despite all the hours he had slept. He heard someone kneeling down next to him, felt Chiaki’s always-heated hand press against his forehead, and rolled to the side to look up at him, wincing as the arm he had hit brushed the floor again. Chiaki was looking down at him with visible concern in his eyes, mouth twisted in an uneasy frown as he removed his hand from Midori’s forehead and studied his face.

“Takamine, are you okay?” he asked, voice still naturally loud despite it sounding like he was trying to muffle it, and Midori groaned in response, pressing his face back into the floor. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest idea, but the floor was so cool, and the bite of pain pulsing through his body didn’t provide any motivation to move. He could hear a muffled conversation between Tetora and Shinobu in the distance, overlaid by the sound of Kanata’s light footsteps as he strolled over. 

“chiaki. the Infirmary?” Kanata prompted in his usual slow, lilting tone, and he could feel Chiaki nod briskly, the movement stirring the air around him unpleasantly and making Midori squirm. The sound of Kanata’s melodic voice only made him drowsier as he felt himself being lifted off the floor, supported by a few pairs of hands. He just barely heard the door opening before dizzily crashing into slumber, lavender mist in wisps beneath his closed eyes.

-

Mika sat in the field as usual, tail flicking idly as he hummed and fussed with the vines. The thick fog that covered the area when its owner wasn’t present made it hard to see too far into the distance, which made flying nearly impossible, but he was content enough to stay in the field and its surrounding shrubbery, tending to his plants. They had grown considerably since he had planted them, and he felt a touch of pride in how well he had chosen this time. The vines were weighed down by bright, swirling candy canes, signalling how close they were to ripeness, and Mika let out a contented chirrup, picking a particularly heavy one off its vine and watching the stalk spring back up.

A flicker, and something changed in the dream’s composition as the fog began to thin, becoming mere mist once again among the clean, crisp air. Mika perked up, feathers fluffing up with excitement, as he swiftly looked over his shoulder at the open path into the field. _Midori-kun’s here!_ His tail and wings wobbled into translucency before being absorbed into his body, and he bounced to his feet to wait for Midori’s appearance. _It is strange, though,_ he thought, tilting his head to one side as he watched. _It’s a lot earlier than he usually arrives, isn’t it?_

Time passed, and Mika waited patiently, as those with all the time in the world tend to do, before realizing that Midori wasn’t coming. Worry bubbled in his chest. _Did he get hurt somewhere?_

He left the field, looking carefully around him as he walked along the tree-lined path, until he saw Midori sitting, seeming dazed, near the dream’s entrance. A dream, an ever-expanding world, could be said to have no “beginning”, but Midori always appeared in the same place: on that grassy path flanked by trees, by a stump that spilled stars like sap. Midori didn’t seem to react to Mika’s presence, so Mika poked his head close to Midori’s, letting out a confused noise. “Midori-kun, what’re ya doin’? You okay?”

Midori didn’t reply at first, eyes staring down as if Mika wasn’t there, but it only took a few more moments for him to sigh and look up to meet Mika’s eyes. “...I’ve been really tired lately,” he said, ignoring Mika’s questions. “I guess this is... well, a weird question, but,” he laughed dryly, eyes flicking to the side before firmly returning to Mika’s. “Are you some kind of demon?”

Mika jerked back, stuttering a loud “No!” as he tried not to trip over one of the roots snaking their way across the grass. Midori eyed him silently, just watching as Mika shrunk back. “I-I mean...” he offered timidly, pressing his hands together as if pleading. “W-Why... do ya think I am?”

Midori tilted his head, sleep visibly pricking at his eyes, and Mika looked away, shoulders drooping. “You use others’ dreams to get energy... and that’s why you’re growing that candy in my garden, right?” Midori asked, though it was more of a statement than a question, end lacking as much of a lilt as one would usually include. 

Mika scuffed at the grass with a foot, quiet, but nodded reluctantly. He paused for a moment before sighing, straightening up to look back at Midori. “My candy’s grown, so I was gonna leave soon anyway,” he admitted. “But I was havin’ so much fun talkin’ to ya, ‘n learnin’ about yer world, ‘n this world’s so pretty... I didn’t want ya to know.”

“...It’s caused me a lot of trouble, but I enjoyed it too,” Midori mumbled, looking away. He didn’t want to indulge the demon’s whims too much—after all, even Mika seemed aware of what a negative reputation his kind had—but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit honest. The dream world _was_ beautiful, but that didn’t mean he wanted to stay trapped here. He figured if he was this tired after only a couple weeks, he would end up in some kind of coma eventually, like some victims no doubt did. 

Mika’s eyes brightened, small smile sprouting on his face. He struggled to contain it, squeezing at his hands to remain calm, and nodded. “‘m real sorry ‘bout that, Midori-kun. I didn’t wanna hurt ya... ‘n I got carried away. I’ll move on, so y’should feel better soon, though.” 

Midori didn’t want to think about the fact that Mika was essentially saying he’d find another victim to drain energy from, but he... seemed decent, as far as stereotypical demons go, and it _was_ the other’s only source of food. “Well... maybe we’ll see each other again someday... if it’s just occasionally.”

Mika’s eyes widened, a startled little chirp leaving his throat before his mouth curved into a soft smile. “You’re so gentle, Midori-kun.” He looked to his pocket, seeming to remember something. “Right, since I used your dream to grow em, want a candy cane? I doubt you’ll ever have one like this again,” he offered, a bit of a boast in his voice. 

Midori wanted to retort that it was _his_ dream that did most of the work, but he bit his tongue and accepted the candy cane. It was lighter than he was used to, shimmering like a prism as he turned it in his hands. “Thank you, Mika-kun,” he settled on replying, biting into it. It was airy and fizzly in a way that he would never associate with an actual candy cane, but he figured being made of dreams would inevitably make it taste differently than the sugary ones he was used to. 

Mika watched him, eyes crinkling as he smiled. “I’ll see you, then.”

Midori barely had time to smile back before the world around them began to fade and darken, shadows congealing behind Mika into barely visible shapes before Midori woke up, his eyes meeting the ceiling of the infirmary. 

It was quiet in the room, no sign of his unitmates, but he heard the faint shouts of students outside, the shriek of a teacher’s whistle. He sat up slowly, body still sore from his fall, but his head felt clearer than it had in days, and as he stretched his arms over his head, he felt some tension leave his tight shoulders. 

As he stood up to return to practice, he thought back on how Mika seemed so interested in how Midori described their lives, battles and fireworks and how his eyes had sparkled like a child’s. _I kinda wish I could show him,_ he thought fleetingly before pushing it away. There was no point in entertaining impossibilities; that kind of peerless optimism was more suited to Chiaki. Letting loose a quiet “Ok!” under his breath to strengthen his resolve, he opened the door. If he couldn’t participate, he at least wanted to review the choreography and watch the shine of his unitmates, so much brighter than the spark he emitted now. 

Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, he stepped out into the hallway and headed off.

-

The bell rang its usual signal, and the chatter of students near-immediately filled the classroom. Midori exited the classroom a bit after it had already emptied, gathering his things, lost in thought as he leaned against the window and loosely held his bag. He faintly heard all the footsteps of his schoolmates fading into the distance as they headed to their respective unit and club activities, a steady background noise as he zoned out, taking note of the hints of strength continuing to return to his limbs.

It has been a few days since he last dreamed of that forest, and after a dream about sleeping through a history test, he almost missed it and its beauty. _But it’s natural,_ he reminded himself. _People don’t have repeating dreams a lot. And if they do, it probably means something. I don’t need any creepy omens in my life._ He couldn’t help a slightly mean-spirited snicker. _Might be worth telling Morisawa-senpai, though. He always makes the best expressions, that scaredycat._

A flash of orange in the side of his vision made him jerk to the side, and as he straightened up, heart pounding, he realized it had been Hinata, cheekily grinning at him as he stood, leaning slightly forward as he stared directly into Midori’s eyes. It was a bit unnerving, and Midori looked away uncomfortably before clearing his throat, feeling it dry as he opened his mouth to speak. “H-Hinata-kun... you startled me. Didn’t I tell you not to sneak up on me like that...?”

Hinata just stayed uncharacteristically quiet, seemingly in thought, and Midori tilted his head to the side. He was entirely unprepared for the other to launch himself forward with a swiftness that led to their noses bumping a bit roughly into each other, causing Midori to splutter and lurch back yet again. He was about to protest, mouth twisting in irritation, but his words of scolding died on his tongue as the world shivered around him, the air seeming to shimmer with a kind of energy he wasn’t used to. He slowly looked back up at Hinata, only to realize with a numb horror that he didn’t look like how he usually was. Feathery wings folded neatly on his back, a long tail that wound itself lazily around his right leg, and his eyes, glowing in two colors, pupils in inhuman slits—just like Mika’s. Around them, flickering shadows skittered around the hallway, slipping through doors, congregating in the corners, and as Midori stared into those eyes, transfixed, he saw the other offer him a gentle, toothy smile, sharp fangs somehow illuminated in the shimmery air around them. 

“We’ll be able t’ see each other outside o’ dreams this way,” said that hopeful, too-cheerful voice, a perfect imitation of Mika’s, flowing from Hinata’s twisted image as he stepped closer. “I missed ya, Midori-kun.”

And Midori, frozen in place, could only wonder, _What have I gotten myself into...?_


End file.
